Eddie Skuller Loves His ‘Chocolate Jesus’
“Don’t go to church on Sunday/
Don’t get on my knees to pray/
Don’t memorize the books of the Bible/
I got my own special way/
But I know Jesus loves me/
Maybe just a little bit more/
I fall on my knees every Sunday/
At Zerelda Lee’s candy store.”
“Chocolate Jesus,” the 1999 Tom Waits gem, has been given a new life by Eddie Skuller of Jersey City. We previously reported on how he turned the Chicago blues of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” into a reggae (3/25/25). He now has five Waits songs under his belt that he’s put together as part of his live show. Pianist Joe McGinty and bassist Jeremy Chatsky give able support and should be with him September 20 at the Town Crier Café in Beacon, New York, and October 18 at My Father’s Place in Roslyn, New York. McGinty has played with the Psychedelic Furs. Chatzky has played with Steve Earle.
“Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus/
Make me feel good inside/
Got to be a chocolate Jesus/
Keep me satisfied/
Well I don’t want no Abba Zabba/
Don’t want no Almond Joy/
There ain’t nothing better/
Suitable for this boy/
The Philadelphia Daily News wrote that “Skuller embraces the dark and moody but injects the tender promise of hope. Not an easy thing for most singers to pull off.” Get down with “Chocolate Jesus” below.